Climate Change and Health Impacts: Using Satellite Data to Assess the Relationship Between Climate Factors, Water Quality, and Infectious Diseases in Chile

This policy brief describes Project SG-CEH-03, which uses satellite data and water sampling in Chile to analyze how climate change affects water quality and the risk of waterborne infectious diseases like salmonellosis.

• Climate change in Chile is modifying temperature, precipitation, and drought patterns, which degrades surface water quality and raises the risk of waterborne infectious diseases such as salmonellosis. These effects particularly impact areas with high socio-environmental vulnerability and informal settlements, stressing public health systems.
• Research conducted in the Maipo and Mapocho river basins of the Metropolitan Region between 2019 and 2023 indicates that spectral indices from satellite data can help identify high-risk areas for pathogens, especially during periods of high water variability. However, the immediate use of operational models is obstructed by prolonged droughts and a lack of microbiological data.
• The translation of scientific data into public policy is hindered by gaps in inter-institutional coordination. Effective monitoring of climate-sensitive diseases requires the integration of health, environment, and climate data, utilizing remote sensing technologies supported by local data and institutional capacity.

APA

Palharini, R. (n.d.). Climate Change and Health Impacts: Using Satellite Data to Assess the Relationship Between Climate Factors, Water Quality, and Infectious Diseases in Chile. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-3_en.pdf

Chicago

Palharini, Rayana. Climate Change and Health Impacts: Using Satellite Data to Assess the Relationship Between Climate Factors, Water Quality, and Infectious Diseases in Chile. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-3_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Palharini |first1=Rayana |title=Climate Change and Health Impacts: Using Satellite Data to Assess the Relationship Between Climate Factors, Water Quality, and Infectious Diseases in Chile |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-3_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{palharinindclimate, author = {Palharini, Rayana}, title = {{Climate Change and Health Impacts: Using Satellite Data to Assess the Relationship Between Climate Factors, Water Quality, and Infectious Diseases in Chile}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-3_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }